Police surround the apartment of apparent murderer Joe Adams, who refuses to surrender although escape appears impossible. During the siege, Joe reflects on the circumstances that led him to... Read allPolice surround the apartment of apparent murderer Joe Adams, who refuses to surrender although escape appears impossible. During the siege, Joe reflects on the circumstances that led him to this situation.Police surround the apartment of apparent murderer Joe Adams, who refuses to surrender although escape appears impossible. During the siege, Joe reflects on the circumstances that led him to this situation.
Melinda Byron
- Peggy
- (as Patty King)
Davis Roberts
- Freddie
- (as Robert A. Davis)
Fred Aldrich
- Ticket Taker
- (uncredited)
Murray Alper
- Mac - Bartender
- (uncredited)
Bobby Barber
- Nightclub Patron
- (uncredited)
Vangie Beilby
- Audience Member
- (uncredited)
Brooks Benedict
- Audience Member
- (uncredited)
Gladys Blake
- Millie - Saloon Waitress
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaFilm debut of Barbara Bel Geddes. She was signed to a seven-year contract with RKO after this film. Director Anatole Litvak cast her after seeing her on Broadway as the female lead in "Deep Are the Roots", which played at the Fulton Theatre for 477 performances beginning 26 September 1945.
- GoofsWhen Joe from inside his apartment shoots at the cops who are standing outside his door; it leaves bullet holes in the door. But on a following cut after speaking with the little girl and going back into his apartment; there are no bullet holes on the interior side of the door.
- Quotes
Maximilian: [to Jo-Ann] You have sharp nails like a little animal. Maybe that's what I like about you.
- Crazy creditsOpening card: "...the night is long That never finds the day..." William Shakespeare, Macbeth, Act IV, Scene III
- ConnectionsFeatured in Henry Fonda: The Man and His Movies (1982)
Featured review
A moral melodrama, tight, fast, gorgeous--and offbeat but defining film noir
The Long Night (1947)
This Anatole Litvak movie is about four things: Henry Fonda, Sol Polito, and Le Jour se Leve.
1) Fonda is a nice surprise here. He's got those sad, brooding, innocent expressions that make you hang in there for him alongside the young Barbara Bel Geddes, who is both demure and a screaming desperado in her support role. Fonda also has time of downright cheerfulness, and when you see him being lively and chipper you realize how often he is cast as a solid, sober, dignified type (from The Grapes of Wrath to 12 Angry Men, on and on).
2) Polito is the cinematographer, and a great one (see any of his films for proof). He moves the camera up and down that stairwell, around the darkened room, through the crowded streets, on and on, really making the experience visceral and lyrical. It's no small feat. Watch.
3) Le Jour se Leve is the 1939 French movie that is the basis for The Long Night. The writing for this Litvak version is really sharp (and a couple times, hilarious in the best way), and they make the most of the original idea, of a man thinking over his crime and the causes for it.
Which bring up number four, the essence of film noir. We often think of "film noir" as a style, and this one has lots of night shooting and deep shadows. It's also sometimes a period, which is mostly post World War II (so late 1940s into the 1950s). One of the key elements to classic noir is the idea of a man alone, out of step with the world, often vulnerable to a woman (or two) who may or may not have such good intentions. And this man represents the returning soldier, who in reality was out of step with the new booming America.
4) So here we have a textbook example, a soldier who was forced to do his murderous job during the war and now faces an America that he can't quite fit into. The struggle is all on the surface here (even the crowds make clear they are ready to support him through his adjustment), and even though there are no classic noir lines from some detective hardboiler, and even though Fonda is no Mitchum or Bogart, this is a perfect noir in other ways, and more about inner human struggles than external drama.
Is it good? Yes, for all these reasons. It's not flawless (Vincent Price is an odd presence, but if you like Price you'll enjoy him, too), but it has its flawless aspects, and is guaranteed to move you. For many men in a 1947 audience, it had to have been gutwrenching and inspiring. And it still is.
This Anatole Litvak movie is about four things: Henry Fonda, Sol Polito, and Le Jour se Leve.
1) Fonda is a nice surprise here. He's got those sad, brooding, innocent expressions that make you hang in there for him alongside the young Barbara Bel Geddes, who is both demure and a screaming desperado in her support role. Fonda also has time of downright cheerfulness, and when you see him being lively and chipper you realize how often he is cast as a solid, sober, dignified type (from The Grapes of Wrath to 12 Angry Men, on and on).
2) Polito is the cinematographer, and a great one (see any of his films for proof). He moves the camera up and down that stairwell, around the darkened room, through the crowded streets, on and on, really making the experience visceral and lyrical. It's no small feat. Watch.
3) Le Jour se Leve is the 1939 French movie that is the basis for The Long Night. The writing for this Litvak version is really sharp (and a couple times, hilarious in the best way), and they make the most of the original idea, of a man thinking over his crime and the causes for it.
Which bring up number four, the essence of film noir. We often think of "film noir" as a style, and this one has lots of night shooting and deep shadows. It's also sometimes a period, which is mostly post World War II (so late 1940s into the 1950s). One of the key elements to classic noir is the idea of a man alone, out of step with the world, often vulnerable to a woman (or two) who may or may not have such good intentions. And this man represents the returning soldier, who in reality was out of step with the new booming America.
4) So here we have a textbook example, a soldier who was forced to do his murderous job during the war and now faces an America that he can't quite fit into. The struggle is all on the surface here (even the crowds make clear they are ready to support him through his adjustment), and even though there are no classic noir lines from some detective hardboiler, and even though Fonda is no Mitchum or Bogart, this is a perfect noir in other ways, and more about inner human struggles than external drama.
Is it good? Yes, for all these reasons. It's not flawless (Vincent Price is an odd presence, but if you like Price you'll enjoy him, too), but it has its flawless aspects, and is guaranteed to move you. For many men in a 1947 audience, it had to have been gutwrenching and inspiring. And it still is.
helpful•94
- secondtake
- May 16, 2010
- How long is The Long Night?Powered by Alexa
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- A Time to Kill
- Filming locations
- Youngstown, Ohio, USA(archive footage)
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Gross US & Canada
- $1,000,000
- Runtime1 hour 41 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1
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